


Jungle Planet: Path to Burkaqua: Near the Stream

by moody_trans_detective



Series: Rogueass Galaxy [14]
Category: Rogue Galaxy
Genre: Boss Fight, Gen, Tentacles, taking a break from men
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-18
Updated: 2020-11-18
Packaged: 2021-03-10 02:27:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,339
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27616247
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/moody_trans_detective/pseuds/moody_trans_detective
Summary: Kisala can't stop thinking about Lilika when she helps free her from the Mud Whooper.
Series: Rogueass Galaxy [14]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1956043
Kudos: 1





	Jungle Planet: Path to Burkaqua: Near the Stream

She couldn’t believe they’d been turned away. After their long trek from the swamp, all the beasts they’d had to cut their way through, and they weren’t even welcome in the village. Add that to how much of a complete asshole Zegram was being, and that Jaster was doing nothing about it when she’d _thought_ he’d been a somewhat decent man, and Kisala was having a bad day.

Trudging back the way they’d come, she felt the river water in her boots, wearing away at her feet. She was hot, and tired, and sticky, and hungry, and she’d expected a little more…hospitality. Not that she was surprised the people here were wary of travelers. Zegram’s face _was_ scary, after all, and he’d glared at them the entire time. But being turned back out into the jungle really made her grumpy. The next set of beasts they stumbled upon would be sorry. She was ready to slice her frustrations away.

And there were always more beasts. They sprang up from nowhere, like they wanted to be cut down, like there was no other purpose for them. Kisala slashed and stabbed and vented herself productively until she realized they’d made it to the spring.

She put her blades away. It seemed peaceful here.

At the voices they all crouched down, eavesdropping. It was rude. Kisala wanted to go down to the spring, where the women were, simply talk. Zegram was being lewd again, and Jaster unwilling to say anything about it. He was disappointing her more and more—he may be good in bed, but that seemed to be all he was good for.

Kisala tried to stay calm throughout the situation, but Lilika was so moving, and her little sister so—well, little—that she was getting worked up around them, too. The addition of a frog beast was welcome the moment it rose out of the spring, tentacles thrashing, face ugly as the toilets onboard the Dorgenark. Kisala was overcome with the need to show off in front of them all, even—or maybe especially—in front of strong, confident Lilika, and they hadn’t run into any beast as impressive as this one. When it grabbed Miri, Kisala sprung into action, water sloshing in her boots, daggers springing to her hands. She leapt up and severed the beastly appendages.

They were disgusting, slimy on the outside, jellylike on the inside. And they were wrapped around her ankle now, too, terrible repulsive frog-tentacles, strong despite their gooey innards. She cried out to the others, but the beast was stronger than she’d expected. She dug her daggers into the ground, but it was soft and did nothing to keep her from being pulled toward the monstrous thing.

“Kisala!” Jaster pulled his sword, dashed forward.

“A Mud Whooper,” said Lilika, loudly. She grabbed her bow, pulled an arrow, all smooth, precise movements. She didn’t get excited like Jaster; she simply fell into place, ready for action.

Kisala stared at her even as the beast pulled her in closer to its likewise slimy body. The Mud Whooper wrapped more tentacles around her, keeping her immobile. When she opened her mouth again the beast shoved a tentacle in, the foul taste flooding her tongue. She considered for a hot second biting it but feared what the inside tasted like, or if it might be poisonous, so she let it gag her. The stench was awful, like rotting vegetation, and her stomach roiled.

She couldn’t do much like this, but she could watch the others. Well, Jaster was fine, and she didn’t care about Zegram, but Lilika…she could watch Lilika bring down a beast for her. She’d only talked to Lilika briefly, but she’d liked her. Lilika wasn’t like the men Kisala spent time around on the Dorgenark, and she wasn’t like most of the women Kisala had met on other planets. Lilika had a presence, moved with the sense she knew her body well and could use it to the best of its ability.

She was like Kisala, a fighter. Determined. Unafraid. Kisala barely noticed the squeeze of the Mud Whooper tentacles while she watched Lilika hacking away with her hatchet, backing off to fire arrows at the beast when it electrocuted the water. Below the Mud Whooper, Jaster and Zegram caught the electric charge, but Lilika knew enough to get out of the way. She was smart.

Something about the situation warmed Kisala. She’d only just met Lilika and the woman was risking her life to save her. And Kisala both desperately wanted her to, and wanted to scream at her to get away. She didn’t want to be the reason Lilika got hurt, even as she wanted to see Lilika bring the beast down. Kisala wasn’t even scared for herself anymore.

And so when the beast took enough damage and was brought down, and Jaster dashed over to cut her free from the tentacles, Kisala found herself yearning for Lilika to be the one to free her instead. It didn’t matter that Jaster’s touch was gentle, that he took care not to bump her breasts as he peeled reeking gooey tentacles off her. He wasn’t _her_.

“Are you okay?” he asked. He actually sounded concerned.

“Fine,” said Kisala, not wanting to have to spend the effort to reassure him. Her mouth tasted horrible. Her eyes found Lilika’s. “Thanks.”

“Don’t forget we stuck our necks out for you too,” said Zegram.

“I meant all of you,” said Kisala, waving a hand at him without taking her eyes off Lilika.

“Right.”

“Are you sure you’re okay?” asked Jaster.

“She said she was fine,” said Lilika.

Kisala’s pulse quickened. Even Lilika’s short temper with those two was in her favor. She could already tell they’d get along well. Kisala caught herself—she was thinking like they’d be together awhile, fighting beasts. Well, why couldn’t she think that? It was a nice thought. Just for a while.

“But I wanted to thank you in particular, Lilika,” said Kisala, taking a step closer. “You don’t know me—us—we’re strangers, and you still risked yourself.” Kisala could feel herself flushing, and she couldn’t keep eye contact with Lilika any longer. “Thank you. It was a generous thing to do.”

“How could I not assist one who put herself in danger to save Miri?” Lilika now looked to the side, although not at her sister. She almost appeared embarrassed, or ashamed. “I am grateful for your bravery.”

“This is a moving little wankfest you two got going here, but we really oughta be getting that booster oil sometime in the next decade, or we’re gonna be stuck here carving up Mud Whoopers for a living,” said Zegram.

He forcefully whipped his hair out of his eyepatch. Zegram sounded whinier than usual, which apparently even Jaster picked up on, since Kisala caught him rolling his eyes at the man. She clenched her hands to fists, annoyed the poor excuse for a man was ruining her moment with Lilika.

“He’s right,” said Lilika, crushing Kisala’s spirits. “We should get going. I need to take Miri back to the village.”

“Lilika…” began Kisala, but she had no idea what to say.

“Go at your own pace, but go carefully. This jungle is more dangerous than it once was.”

She left with Miri, left Kisala to travel with Zegram and Jaster. Kisala stood there in the spring, the taste of the Mud Whooper still coating her mouth, the chatter of birds in the air. Stuck with Zegram, who she detested, and Jaster, who was beginning to annoy her for being so perfectly all-right. In another situation, she might have found herself growing fonder of Jaster, and not just because he was the sort to let her shove a stone up his ass.

But that was not where she found herself. Instead she would have to endure the two of them all the way back to Burkaqua Village, thinking of Lilika the entire time. At least her mind would be happy.


End file.
